Rail-bond for rail-joint circuits.



PATENTBD DEG. 17, 1907.

W. EEKARNS. RAIL BONIIIOR RAIL JOINT CIRCUITS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN 29 1907 WILLIAM ELLIOTT KARNS, OF PARKERS LANDING, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-BOND FOR RAIL-JOINT CIRCUITS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17', 1907.

Application filed January 29, 1907. Serial No. 354,636.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM ELLIOTT KARNs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Parkers Landing, in the county of Arm strong and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Bonds for RaileJoint Circuits, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to the subject of circuit maintaining connectors for electric conductors, and has reference to a simple and practical form of rail bond possessing special utility as an electrical conductor for effectually maintaining the circuit through railway track joints.

In utilizing railway rails as the conductors in electrical railway signaling, it is well known that much difficulty is experienced in maintaining a proper and effective bond be tween the rail ends at the joints, and it is therefore the pur ose of the present inven tion to provide a bondV or connector capable of application in a position entirely out of the way of outside influence or disturbance, while at the same time serving to maintain a permanent and edective metallic connection between the contiguous rail ends at all times and under all conditions. In this connection, a special object of the invention is to provide a rail bond or connector in the form of an end post, that is, in the form of the cross section of a rail, and therefore capable of being interposed between the rail ends and conforming to the outline of the cross sections thereof, so that a wide contact bearing is provided for.

Furthermore, the invention contemplates a spring type of rail bond end post, which, by reason of its spring action, adjusts itself to the contraction and expansion of the rails to maintain the contact, and therefore the friction of the rail ends on the spring end post serves to keep the parts dry and clean.

In this connection, another object is to utilize the joint side bars or fish plates as a means for securely holding or fastening the rail bond in place.

With these and many other objects in view, which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction, combination, and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated and claimed.

The essential feature of the invention involved in carrying out the objects above indicated are necessarily to structural modification without departing from the scope thereof, but apreferred embodiment thereof is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side view of a rail joint equipped with a connecting bond constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the construction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross sectional view through the center of the joint on `the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail in perspective of a preferred form of rail bond end post.

Like references designate corresponding parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In carrying the invention into eiiect, no change whatever is required in the construction or use of the rail joint to which the same is applied, as the rail bond is utilized as an end post which is interposed directly in the interval between the adjacent rail ends of the joint. Hence, for illustrative purposes, there is shown in the drawings, an ordinary type of rail joint' embodying in its organization'the adjacent service rails 1 and 2, the side joint bars 3, and the usual series of joint bolts 4, said side joint bars consisting of the usual fish plates, splice bars ory angle bars, such as are commonly employed to splice or connect the rail ends and which are held by the joint bolts firmly clamped between the head and foot flanges of the rails as plainly shown in Figs. 1 and 3 of the drawings.

As indicated, the rail bond constituting the present invention consists of an end post designated in its entirety by the reference letter P and adapted vto be inserted in the space directly between the rail ends 1 and 2. This end post P is made of brass or other suitable metal to provide conductivity and resiliency, and essentially comprises a pair of yieldingly separated duplicate sprin contact plates 5 united or joined toget er at their bases, as at 6, and upwardly divergent from the latter point so as to yieldingljT press respectively against the opposite rail ends 1 and 2.

A distinctive feature of the invention resides in constructing each contact plate 5 in the shape or form of the cross section of the rail, so that each plate consists of a rail head element 6 a rail base iian e element 7, and a narrow connecting web 8 orming an integral part of and connecting the head 6 and the base ange 7. Hence, by reason of this construction, the separate contact plates 5 follow the contour of the rail end sections and thereby provide a wide and extended contact bearing surface between the rail ends, and said plates 5 of the post. Furthermore, by reason of the head elements 6 of the post P conforming in design and extent to the heads of the rails l and 2, the side joint bars 3 of the rail joint necessarily clamp under the head 6 and over the base flanges 7 with the result of effectually fastening the bond in place.

The bases or base llanges 7 of the separate yieldingly separated plates 5 may be riveted or otherwise secured together at the base line 6', but a practical construction is shown in the drawings and consists in stamping the entire end post P double, that is, from a single blank of spring metal and folding the same upon the base line 6a, as plainly shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

By reason of the spring separation of the head 6 of the separate plates 5, the bond necessarily accommodate itself to the contraction and expansion of the rails, and the friction of the latter on the head 6 necessarily serves to keep the contact parts dry and clean.

I claim:

l. A rail bond consisting of a metallic spring end post in the form of the cross section of a rail.

2. A rail bond, consisting of a metallic end post comprising a pair of yieldingly separated contact plates in the form of the cross section of a rail.

3. A rail bond, consisting of a metallic end post in the form of the cross section of a rail, and comprising a pair of yieldingly separated duplicate spring contact plates united at one end.

4. A rail bond, consisting ofa metallic end post comprising a pair of yieldingly separated duplicate spring contact plates united at their bases and upwardly vdivergent from the latter, each of said plates having the form of the cross section of a rail.

5. A rail bond consisting of a metallic spring end post interposed between the rail ends and in the form of the cross section of the rails, whereby the side joint bars of the joint serve to secure the bond in place.

In testimony whereof l hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM ELLIOTT KARNS.

Witnesses:

C. B. HENRY, GREY BENNER. 

